Grass fire in Col. Falls spreads into woods

A host of fire departments and a state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation helicopter were able to put out a fire near Columbia Falls before it burned any nearby homes Thursday afternoon.

A grass fire at the Robert Miller residence on Columbia Falls Stage Road caught a shed on fire and quickly spread to a heavily forested backyard to the north, burning about 2 acres.

Firefighters from Bad Rock, Creston, Columbia Falls and the DNRC all responded as the flames moved into the trees.

A DNRC helicopter drew water from the Flathead River and made several dumps on the blaze. There were no injuries. The shed and lawnmower inside were destroyed. The top burned out of one large tree and it snapped in two.

The fire was under control by about 4 p.m. Hot and dry conditions helped stoke the blaze as temperatures were in the 90s with a stiff breeze from the south.